Ever have that moment of panic when you realize you've left the house without your trombone? Yeah. We've all been there. Fortunately there's iBone.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/4u77f-XxFr0/story01.htm
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Showtime making documentary about Dick Cheney
PASADENA, California (AP) ? The Showtime television network says it is preparing a new documentary on former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Showtime said Thursday that filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who made "The War Room" about Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992, will make the film. No date was set for airing.
Cutler called Cheney, who was George W. Bush's vice president, "perhaps the single most influential non-president in the nation's political history." He promised a balanced and multi-dimensional look at Cheney.
Last weekend, Cutler placed ads in the Casper Star-Tribune newspaper asking residents if they had any footage or still pictures of Cheney. The former vice president lived in Wyoming as a teen and attended the University of Wyoming. He represented Wyoming in Congress from 1979 to 1989.
"Maybe somebody has a home video somewhere that we haven't heard about that we'd just like to see," said Ryan Gallagher, as associate producer at Actual Reality Pictures, Cutler's production company.
Showtime said it has begun an effort to produce high-end profiles. Its other project is about rap mogul Suge Knight.
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Official: NKorea test-fired short-range missiles (AP)
SEOUL, South Korea ? A South Korean official says North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles earlier this week in an apparent routine test of its technology.
The Defense Ministry official said the North fired three KN-02 missiles into its eastern waters on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office policy. The missiles have a range of about 75 miles (120 kilometers).
Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper first reported the tests.
North Korea regularly conducts short-range missile tests. The latest come as North Korea tries to consolidate new leader Kim Jong Un's grip on power after his father Kim Jong Il's Dec. 17 death.
North Korea conducted a short-range missile test hours after it announced Kim's death on Dec. 19.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Syrian troops kill 10 in eastern city
In this image made from video, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivers a speech in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Assad gave his first speech Tuesday since he agreed last month to an Arab League plan to halt the government's crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo/Syrian State Television via APTN) SYRIA OUT
In this image made from video, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivers a speech in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Assad gave his first speech Tuesday since he agreed last month to an Arab League plan to halt the government's crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo/Syrian State Television via APTN) SYRIA OUT
In this image made from video, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivers a speech in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Assad gave his first speech Tuesday since he agreed last month to an Arab League plan to halt the government's crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo/Syrian State Television via APTN) SYRIA OUT
In this image made from video, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivers a speech in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Assad gave his first speech Tuesday since he agreed last month to an Arab League plan to halt the government's crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo/Syrian State Television via APTN) SYRIA OUT TV OUT
BEIRUT (AP) ? Activists say Syrian security forces have shot dead at least 10 people in an eastern city despite the presence of an Arab observer mission in the area.
Tuesday's violence in Deir el-Zour comes as Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed in his first speech since June to respond to threats with an "iron hand" and refused to step down, insisting he still has his people's support despite a 10-month-old revolt.
Kuwait's official news agency also reported that a group of Arab League observers were attacked in the northern city of Latakia on Monday and two Kuwaiti army officers were lightly injured.
The observers' mission is to monitor compliance with an Arab League plan to stop violence after a 10-month uprising and a bloody crackdown on protesters.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CAIRO (AP) ? The Arab League is blaming both the Syrian government and opposition for attacks on its observers in Syria.
Arab League head Nabil Elaraby indicated such attacks could bring about the end of the observer mission.
He spoke after protesters mobbed a Kuwaiti observers' vehicle, slightly injuring two officers. Protesters posted video showing that the attackers were backers of the Bashar Assad regime.
Elaraby said Tuesday that the Syrian government is responsible for ensuring the safety of the observers. Their mission is to monitor compliance with an Arab League plan to stop violence after a 10-month uprising and a bloody crackdown on protesters.
He called on both the government and opposition to stop "instigation," so that the Arab League would not be forced to "freeze its mission."
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
ZerlinaMaxwell: @ChaleneJohnson Well no because this is my first iphone so to me it's epid. Also, I love siri!
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@ChaleneJohnson Well no because this is my first iphone so to me it's epid. Also, I love siri! 
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Geithner presses Beijing on Iran, currency (AP)
BEIJING ? U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Chinese leaders pledged Wednesday to build economic ties but Beijing gave no sign it would relent in its opposition to American sanctions on Iran's oil industry.
Geithner planned to press Beijing on U.S. complaints about its currency controls as well as lobby for support to rein in Iranian nuclear ambitions. China, a major buyer of Iranian crude, has rejected unilateral U.S. sanctions as improper and industry analysts say it is unlikely to cooperate with an oil embargo.
The secretary and Chinese officials were upbeat about relations in portions of meetings reporters were allowed to watch and gave no sign of their conflicts.
"I believe your visit will go a long way to promote the stability and further growth of our economic relationship," said Vice President Xi Jinping, in line to be China's next leader.
Geithner replied that the two sides have a "very strong cooperative relationship" on global economic growth, nuclear nonproliferation and other issues.
"We are looking forward to building on that," he said.
Washington is targeting Iran's oil exports in an attempt to halt what Western governments say is its effort to develop nuclear weapons. The sanctions would bar financial institutions from the U.S. market if they do business with Iran's central bank.
China's fast-growing economy is the world's biggest energy consumer and depends on Iran for 11 percent of its oil imports. China bought about 600,000 barrels of Iranian crude per day in November, nearly one-third of Iran's daily exports of 2.2 million barrels, making Chinese cooperation key to the success of sanctions.
In a meeting Tuesday night with Geithner, Vice Premier Wang Qishan pledged cooperation on global economic issues and called on the United States to loosen export controls on high-tech goods, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. China has long objected to U.S. limits on sales of "dual use" technologies with possible military applications.
Geithner also met with Vice Premier Li Keqiang, another rising political star, and was due to meet Premier Wen Jiabao, the country's top economic official.
Wen is due to visit major oil producers Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on a trip that starts this weekend.
Chinese officials have given no details of planned talks, but Wen would have a high-level opportunity to sound out possible alternative crude suppliers.
Buying more from other Gulf suppliers might do China no good if Iran makes good on threats to disrupt shipping, said Guo Haitao, an expert in petroleum imports at the University of Petroleum in Beijing.
"If Iran seals off the Strait of Hormuz ? which is likely to happen if sanctions are imposed on them ? then even if Saudi Arabia or the rest of them wanted to sell their oil to China, there would be no way the oil can be shipped over," he said.
China gets 40 to 50 percent of its oil imports from Iran and other Gulf suppliers, so any disruption would be serious, Guo said. He said suppliers in other regions could not ramp up production enough to fill that gap.
"That would deal a major blow to China's industry and transportation," he said.
Overshadowed by Iran, Geithner's visit also comes amid U.S. frustration with China's currency controls and swollen trade surplus that Washington and other governments complain are hampering economic growth.
U.S. officials said Geithner would press Beijing to ease controls that Washington and other governments say keep its yuan undervalued and give its exporters an unfair price advantage ? a volatile issue at a time when the global economy is struggling and governments are under pressure to lower high unemployment.
The Chinese government reported Tuesday that its trade surplus with the United States swelled 24 percent in December over a year earlier to $17.4 billion.
Beijing has allowed the yuan to rise in recent years in tightly controlled trading but some American lawmakers are calling for punitive tariffs on Chinese goods if the communist government doesn't move faster.
Later Wednesday, Geithner was to fly to Japan, another major buyer of Iranian oil, to lobby for support for sanctions.
___
Associated Press writer Alexa Olesen and researcher Zhao Liang contributed.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Netflix?s Stock Keeps Soaring As Apple Hits New High And Google Suffers
(Robert Sullivan/AFP/Getty Images)
SILICON VALLEY (CBS SF) ? The major stock indexes did not move much on Monday, but that didn?t stop a number of Silicon Valley companies from making news on the trading floor.
- Netflix Inc. shares shot up 13.8 percent after the Los Gatos company made its debut in Britain and Ireland. The Associated Press noted that the stock has gained 28 percent this year, making it the best in the S&P 500. Netflix traded above $300 last summer, then plunged to $62 after the company surprised customers with a price increase.
- Apple Inc. shares, which have been steadily rising this year, hit a new all-time high with a trade at $427.75, CNET reported. It eclipsed the Cupertino company?s previous high-water mark of $426.70 set Oct. 17. The new all-time high came amid expectations that the company will report record earnings later this month.
- Shares of Mountain View-based Google Inc. fell nearly 4 percent, after Motorola Mobility Holdings? warning of worse-than-expected financial results raised concerns about Google?s pending acquisition of the smartphone maker, Reuters and Bloomberg reported.
(Copyright 2011 CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved.)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
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Monday, January 9, 2012
Manila warns of terror threat ahead of religious feast (Reuters)
MANILA (Reuters) ? President Benigno Aquino warned on Sunday that officials were bracing for a possible Islamist militant attack in the capital on the eve of a religious procession to be joined by millions of barefoot devotees.
The Black Nazarene, a life-size wooden statue of Jesus Christ carved in Mexico and brought to the Philippines in the 17th century, is removed from the Quiapo church on January 9 each year.
Believed to have healing powers in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, it is paraded through the narrow streets of Manila's old city from dawn to midnight.
"Over the past few months, we have been appraised of intentions to create disruption in the national capital region, during the feast of the Black Nazarene," Aquino told reporters, saying the government had considered canceling the procession.
"Lately, we have been getting some information that leads us to believe there is a heightened risk...the possibility prompts us to warn you of the risk in attending the procession."
The president made no mention of any group, but said militants had been spotted in the capital. Some extremists associated with it were in jail, he said, and had operated from the southern island of Mindanao -- clear references to Islamist militants of the Abu Sayyaf group.
"I ask you not to bring the following to the procession: cellphones, weapons, fireworks. Anyone who is caught bringing or using fireworks will be apprehended," he said.
Since the early 1990s, the government has been fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants, blamed for bomb attacks, beheadings and kidnap-for-ransom in the southern Philippines. The government refuses to negotiate with Abu Sayyaf.
Authorities have since the late 1990s been holding peace talks with Muslem separatists of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to end decades of conflict. But little progress has been made.
The president's warning was the first of its kind of a plot linked to the Black Nazarene festival, which is expected to draw up to nine million devotees, most barefoot and wearing maroon shirts bearing an image of Christ.
Ricardo Valencia, a priest at Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, said clergy had received no information from the government on terrorist threats.
"It's all systems go," he told reporters, while preparing for a mass at a park from where the procession starts on Monday.
(Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Ron Popeski)
BusinessDesk: The economic toll of the EU debt crisis is becoming more evident
The New Zealand dollar rose against the euro to near the highest level since notes of the common currency were first issued in 2002, with signs the region?s leaders are far from finding a solution to the ballooning debt-crisis.
The New Zealand dollar traded at 61.39 euro cents just before 8am this morning, up from 61.05 cents at 5pm on Friday. The kiwi traded at 78.01 US cents, little changed from 78.12 cents on Friday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet in Berlin tonight for the first time this year in an attempt to flesh out a new fiscal rulebook following the Dec. 9 leaders? summit. The economic toll of the debt crisis is becoming more evident with Euro-zone retail trade falling 0.8 percent in November from October, data from the European Union?s statistics office Eurostar showed. A monthly poll by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 percent monthly fall.
?There has been continuous failure by the Euro nations to sort out their issues,? said Stuart Ive, senior currency strategist at HiFX. ?In some form or the other the euro will fail ? it is not going to be in the current form that it is in now.?
?The kiwi is going to remain dominated by the current (European) crisis,? said Ive. ?The kiwi will track higher.?
In the US on Friday, economic data suggest recovery in the world?s largest economy is gaining momentum, with non-farm payrolls rising in December and the jobless rate dropping to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent, Reuters reported.
The kiwi rose to 76.35 Australian cents from 76.13 cents. It slipped to 59.86 yen from 60.28 yen and was at 50.56 British pence from 50.37 pence.
The trade-weighted index was up to 70.02 from 69.95.
(BusinessDesk)
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
Officials investigate case of deported Texas teen (AP)
EL PASO, Texas ? The grandmother of a Dallas teen who was deported to Colombia is hoping the 15-year-old can come back soon and says U.S. officials should have done more to identify the girl after she gave a fake name and claimed to be an adult.
U.S. immigration officials say they're investigating the circumstances of the case involving Jakadrien Lorece Turner, but that they followed procedure and found nothing to indicate she wasn't who she claimed to be ? an illegal immigrant from Colombia.
The girl, who ran away from home more than a year ago, was recently found in Bogota, Colombia, by the Dallas Police Department with help from Colombian and U.S. officials.
The Colombian government said the U.S. embassy on Thursday submitted the necessary documents for Jakadrien to return, but it wasn't clear exactly when she might be back in the U.S.
U.S. immigration officials deferred questions about when the teen might return to the State Department, which said it was aware of the case but declined to comment further, citing privacy reasons.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the girl was enrolled in the country's "Welcome Home" program after she arrived there. She was given shelter, psychological assistance and a job at a call center, a statement from the agency said. When the Colombian government discovered she was a U.S. citizen, it put her under the care of a welfare program, the statement said.
Her grandmother, Dallas hairstylist Lorene Turner, called the deportation a "big mistake somebody made" and said U.S. officials need to do better.
"She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn't a kid?" Lorene Turner asked on Thursday.
Jakadrien's family says she left home in November 2010. Houston police said the girl was arrested on April 2, 2011, for misdemeanor theft in that city and claimed to be Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday that the teen claimed to be Cortez throughout the criminal proceedings in Houston and the ensuing deportation process in which an immigration judge ultimately ordered her back to Colombia.
The ICE official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss additional details of the case, said the teenager was interviewed by a representative from the Colombian consulate and that country's government issued her a travel document to enter Colombia. The ICE official said standard procedure before any deportation is to coordinate with the other country in order to establish that person is from there.
The girl was given Colombian citizenship upon arriving there, the ICE official said.
The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Jakadrien was issued travel documents at the request of the U.S. National Security Agency and with information submitted by U.S. officials. Colombian officials are investigating what kind of verification was conducted by its Houston consulate to issue the temporary passport.
It was not clear if the teen might be charged upon her return for falsifying her identity in a criminal process.
Dallas Police detective C'mon (pronounced Simone) Wingo, the detective in charge of the case, explained that in August she was contacted by the girl's grandmother, who said Jakadrien had posted "kind of disturbing" messages on a Facebook account where she goes by yet another name.
Wingo said the girl was located in early November through her use of a computer to log into Facebook. Relatives were then put into contact with the U.S. embassy in Bogota to provide pictures and documents to prove Jakadrien's identity.
Lorene Turner said she has spent a lot of time tracking down Jakadrien, whose family nickname is Kay-Kay.
"In between customers I'd get on the computer looking for Kay-Kay, I was obsessed."
She and the teen's mother, Johnisa Turner, say they did not contact Jakadrien through Facebook and plead for her to come home because they were afraid.
"I didn't want to scare her or get her in trouble with those who had her," Lorene Turner said, adding that she feared the girl might have been caught up in human trafficking. "I don't know. I'm just going crazy. She didn't have any reason to leave. She lived in a nice home (with her mother and stepfather). We were very close. I don't know why she left."
Johnisa Turner was reluctant to go into any details about the deportation, saying she didn't know anything. She referred calls to her attorney, Ray Jackson, but he could not be immediately reached.
"I was devastated," she said. "When your child doesn't come home from school, of course you go to the worst end of the spectrum. I was just hoping that she was alive and well."
Johnisa Turner said her daughter, a freshman at a new Dallas high school, was experimenting with different hairstyles and clothes but "wasn't a problem kid." She said the teen was a good student but when her grades began to slip, her parents took away some of her privileges, including closing down her Facebook account and limiting the time she could listen to music.
Johnisa Turner said she was relieved that Jakadrien has been found and wants her back in Dallas.
"Whatever it is, the past is in the past. I want her home so we can move from this day forward."
___
Ball reported from Dallas. Associated Press reporter Cesar Garcia in Bogota contributed to this report.
Make Apartment Living More Bearable This Weekend [Weekendhacker]
Photo remixed from an original by Reuben Strayer.
Make the Best of Your Living Space
When it comes to noisy neighbors, you can easily complain without being perceived as a total jerk. Of course, if you'd rather be a jerk, you can silence them by transmitting your music to their speakers. And, if you're dealing with other apartment woes?like an apartment that smells like smoke or constant technical issues?we have tips for dealing with those, too.
Be a Good Roommate (and Deal with Crappy Ones)
Lower Your Living Costs
Apartment living can get expensive quickly. We've talked a lot about living cheaply, but for a quicker fix, you can always reduce your rent with a simple letter (though you should probably find out if you're actually paying too much first). While you're at it, you should really get some renter's insurance, so read up on how to get it for free to avoid extra cost. Lastly, as it gets closer to lease renewal time, do your best to avoid a rent increase, so you aren't forced to move out.
If All Else Fails, Move Out
When it comes time to move, make it as easy as possible by de-crapifying your home first. Then, check out our start-to-finish moving guide and our simple moving tips to get through the process stress-free. Make sure you get your security deposit back when you leave, too.
Got any of your own essential tips for living in an apartment? Share them with us in the comments below.
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Saturday, January 7, 2012
Clinical trial demonstrates that rilonacept significantly reduces gout flares
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Public release date: 5-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters
healthnews@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley-Blackwell
Drug appears to be well tolerated by patients
A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1), significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trialthe first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flaresshow rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported. Full findings are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Patients with gouta type of inflammatory arthritis caused by the crystallization of urates in soft tissuesexperience severe pain and swelling, often affecting the feet. A recent study also published in Arthritis & Rheumatism reported that doctor-diagnosed gout has risen over the past twenty years and now affects 8.3 million individuals in the U.S. Previous research shows that while gout attacks typically resolve spontaneously over several days, urate crystals remain in the joint, which can lead to recurrent attacks and if left untreated may permanently damage joints.
"To reduce deposits of crystals in the joints, we advise patients to initiate treatment with medications that lower levels of uric acid in the blood," said lead investigator Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The authors explain that in the early months of urate-lowering therapy, as crystal deposits are broken up, patients may experience gout attacks that are proposed to be due to the release of crystals from softened deposits. These urate crystals interact with cells that release interleukin-1 (IL-1) which can lead to a cascade of inflammation and acute joint pain flares.
Previous research has found that acute gout attacks brought on by uric acid-lowering therapy may make patients less likely to continue treatment. "Well tolerated drugs that reduce the risk of gout flares when initiating uric-acid lowering therapy could make patients more likely to continue important long-term treatments that control gout," added Dr. Schumacher.
Rilonaceptmarketed under the brand name ARCALYST to treat another diseaseis designed to neutralize the protein IL-1 before it produces signals that can trigger inflammation. Thus, researchers looked to test the effectiveness of rilonacept in preventing gout flares and enrolled 83 patients at 27 study centers across the U.S. for a phase II clinical trial. Participants were 18 years of age or older and had gout, including a history of two or more gout flares within the prior year, as well as elevated blood levels of uric acid. Participants were randomized in a double blind fashion, with 41 administered rilonacept via subcutaneous injection (a double dose [320 mg], followed by (160 mg weekly for 16 weeks) and 42 administered weekly placebo. All patients were started on allopurinol (300mg/day) to reduce uric acid levels.
Trial results revealed a significantly lower number of gout flares in participants taking rilonacept with only 6 flares in the rilonacept arm compared with 33 in the placebo group. Researchers also observed fewer flares in patients treated with rilonacept as early as four weeks following the start of therapy. At the 12-week study point, only 15% of patients taking rilonacept had experienced gout flares compared to 45% of those in the placebo group. No deaths or serious infections occurred in either group. Common adverse events included infections reported in 15% of the rilonacept group compared with 26% with the placebo.
"This trial provides well-controlled evidence that this IL-1 blocker is effective in preventing acute gout flares in this setting," confirmed Dr. Schumacher. "Rilonacept appears safe and well tolerated and could increase patient adherence to long-term urate-lowering therapy." The authors recommend further evaluation of rilonacept in patients with gout.
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact healthnews@wiley.com.
Full citation:
"Rilonacept (IL-1 Trap) in the Prevention of Acute Gout Flares During Initiation of Urate-Lowering Therapy: Results of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial." H. R. Schumacher, Jr., John S. Sundy, Robert Terkeltaub, Howard R. Knapp, Scott J. Mellis, Neil Stahl, George D. Yancopoulos, Yuhwen Soo, Shirletta King-Davis, Steven P. Weinstein, Allen R. Radin on behalf of the 0619 Study Group. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: January 5, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.33412). http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.33412.
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Schumacher, please contact Kim Menard with the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System at kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-662-6183.
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology (http://www.rheumatology.org) is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. For details, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1529-0131.
About Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 5-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters
healthnews@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley-Blackwell
Drug appears to be well tolerated by patients
A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1), significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trialthe first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flaresshow rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported. Full findings are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Patients with gouta type of inflammatory arthritis caused by the crystallization of urates in soft tissuesexperience severe pain and swelling, often affecting the feet. A recent study also published in Arthritis & Rheumatism reported that doctor-diagnosed gout has risen over the past twenty years and now affects 8.3 million individuals in the U.S. Previous research shows that while gout attacks typically resolve spontaneously over several days, urate crystals remain in the joint, which can lead to recurrent attacks and if left untreated may permanently damage joints.
"To reduce deposits of crystals in the joints, we advise patients to initiate treatment with medications that lower levels of uric acid in the blood," said lead investigator Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The authors explain that in the early months of urate-lowering therapy, as crystal deposits are broken up, patients may experience gout attacks that are proposed to be due to the release of crystals from softened deposits. These urate crystals interact with cells that release interleukin-1 (IL-1) which can lead to a cascade of inflammation and acute joint pain flares.
Previous research has found that acute gout attacks brought on by uric acid-lowering therapy may make patients less likely to continue treatment. "Well tolerated drugs that reduce the risk of gout flares when initiating uric-acid lowering therapy could make patients more likely to continue important long-term treatments that control gout," added Dr. Schumacher.
Rilonaceptmarketed under the brand name ARCALYST to treat another diseaseis designed to neutralize the protein IL-1 before it produces signals that can trigger inflammation. Thus, researchers looked to test the effectiveness of rilonacept in preventing gout flares and enrolled 83 patients at 27 study centers across the U.S. for a phase II clinical trial. Participants were 18 years of age or older and had gout, including a history of two or more gout flares within the prior year, as well as elevated blood levels of uric acid. Participants were randomized in a double blind fashion, with 41 administered rilonacept via subcutaneous injection (a double dose [320 mg], followed by (160 mg weekly for 16 weeks) and 42 administered weekly placebo. All patients were started on allopurinol (300mg/day) to reduce uric acid levels.
Trial results revealed a significantly lower number of gout flares in participants taking rilonacept with only 6 flares in the rilonacept arm compared with 33 in the placebo group. Researchers also observed fewer flares in patients treated with rilonacept as early as four weeks following the start of therapy. At the 12-week study point, only 15% of patients taking rilonacept had experienced gout flares compared to 45% of those in the placebo group. No deaths or serious infections occurred in either group. Common adverse events included infections reported in 15% of the rilonacept group compared with 26% with the placebo.
"This trial provides well-controlled evidence that this IL-1 blocker is effective in preventing acute gout flares in this setting," confirmed Dr. Schumacher. "Rilonacept appears safe and well tolerated and could increase patient adherence to long-term urate-lowering therapy." The authors recommend further evaluation of rilonacept in patients with gout.
###
This study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact healthnews@wiley.com.
Full citation:
"Rilonacept (IL-1 Trap) in the Prevention of Acute Gout Flares During Initiation of Urate-Lowering Therapy: Results of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial." H. R. Schumacher, Jr., John S. Sundy, Robert Terkeltaub, Howard R. Knapp, Scott J. Mellis, Neil Stahl, George D. Yancopoulos, Yuhwen Soo, Shirletta King-Davis, Steven P. Weinstein, Allen R. Radin on behalf of the 0619 Study Group. Arthritis & Rheumatism; Published Online: January 5, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/art.33412). http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.33412.
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Schumacher, please contact Kim Menard with the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System at kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-662-6183.
About the Journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College, and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology (http://www.rheumatology.org) is the professional organization who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. For details, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1529-0131.
About Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/w-ctd010312.php
Stephen Hawking to turn 70, defying disease (AP)
CAMBRIDGE, England ? British scientist Stephen Hawking has decoded some of the most puzzling mysteries of the universe but he has left one mystery unsolved: How he has managed to survive so long with such a crippling disease.
The physicist and cosmologist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University. Most people die within a few years of the diagnosis, called motor neurone disease in the U.K. On Sunday, Hawking will turn 70.
"I don't know of anyone who's survived this long," said Ammar Al-Chalabi, director of the Motor Neurone Disease Care and Research Centre at King's College London. He does not treat Hawking and described his longevity as "extraordinary."
"It is unusual for (motor neurone disease) patients to survive for decades, but not unheard of," said Dr. Rup Tandan, a neurology professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Still, Tandan said many longtime survivors had ventilators to breathe for them ? which Hawking does not.
Hawking first gained attention with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," a simplified overview of the universe. It sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. His subsequent theories have revolutionized modern understanding of concepts like black holes and the Big Bang theory of how the universe began.
To mark his birthday Sunday, Cambridge University is holding a public symposium on "The State of the Universe," featuring talks from 27 leading scientists, including Hawking himself. For 30 years, he held a mathematics post at the university previously held by Sir Isaac Newton. Hawking retired from that position in 2009 and is now director of research at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.
Hawking achieved all that despite being nearly entirely paralyzed and in a wheelchair since 1970. He now communicates only by twitching his right cheek. Since catching pneumonia in 1985, Hawking has needed around-the-clock care and relies on a computer and voice synthesizer to speak.
A tiny infrared sensor sits on his glasses, hooked up to a computer. The sensor detects Hawking's cheek pulses, which select words displayed on a computer screen. The chosen words are then spoken by the voice synthesizer. It can take up to 10 minutes for Hawking to formulate a single sentence.
"The only trouble is (the voice synthesizer) gives me an American accent," the Briton wrote on his website.
It took Hawking four years to write his last book, "The Grand Design," missing his publisher's original deadline.
Hawking declined requests from The Associated Press for an interview, but his personal assistant, Judith Croasdell, spoke to the AP. She described her boss as remarkably patient.
"The way he communicates can seem frustratingly slow to most people but he doesn't let that impede his thinking," she said.
After a brief hospital stay, Hawking told her that he spent the time thinking about black holes.
Hawking typically comes into the office after a big breakfast and reading the news, Croasdell said. "He's not an early morning person, but he does stay quite late," until about 7 or 8 in the evening, she said.
Hawking's rooftop university office is crammed full of memorabilia: family photos, a miniature NASA shuttle, and a signed picture of himself with President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. On top of physics books sits a disability access guide for the university.
Hawking's fame has led to guest appearances on some of his favorite television shows including "The Simpsons" and "Star Trek." His animated likeness from "The Simpsons" has even been turned into an action figure ? one of which sits proudly on his office desk. There's also a Homer Simpson clock that Hawking is known to glare at when visitors are late for an appointment.
"He's a big ham, he loves the spotlight," said Kitty Ferguson, who's written two biographies of the physicist.
She said he has a wry sense of humor and has programmed his computer to respond to random encounters with people who ask if he's Stephen Hawking. "No, but I'm often mistaken for that man," his voice synthesizer deadpans.
Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks motor neurons, cells that control the muscles. Patients typically suffer muscle weakness and wasting, become paralyzed and have problems talking, swallowing and breathing. Only about 10 percent of patients live longer than a decade.
People who are stricken at a young age, as Hawking was, generally have a better chance of surviving longer. Most people are diagnosed between 50 and 70. Life expectancy generally ranges from two to five years after symptoms like slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness set in. Hawking's personal physicians don't discuss his condition with the press, Croasdell said.
For some reason, the disease has progressed more slowly in Hawking than in most. Al-Chalabi and colleagues are analyzing a DNA sample from Hawking, along with those of other patients, to see if there is something rare about his disease or any genetic mutations that could explain his long survival and if that information could be used to help others.
Some experts said the type of care Hawking has, including about a dozen health workers 24 hours a day, may have extended his life expectancy.
"The disease can sometimes stabilize and then the kind of care delivered may be a factor in survival," said Virginia Lee, a brain disease expert at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "Remaining mentally alert is also extremely important and he has clearly done that."
Hawking says he tries not to think about his limitations.
"I have had (Lou Gehrig's disease) for practically all my adult life," he says on his website. "Yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family and being successful in my work," he writes. "I try to lead as normal a life as possible and not think about my condition or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many."
From the office pictures documenting his achievements, that certainly seems to be the case. Framed photos show the physicist with several popes and on memorable trips to China and Easter Island.
He has even flown in a space simulator. In 2007, Hawking took a zero-gravity flight in Florida, the first time in 40 years he abandoned his wheelchair.
"That was the happiest I've ever seen Stephen," said Sam Blackburn, Hawking's graduate assistant, who accompanied him on the ride along with about a half-dozen others, including two doctors. "He just had the biggest grin on his face."
Hawking has also been married twice and has three children and three grandchildren. With his daughter Lucy, he has written several children's books on physics.
Al-Chalabi said most patients with Lou Gehrig's disease succumb after their breathing muscles stop working. He had no predictions for what the biggest health risks to Hawking's future might be.
"He is truly remarkable," Al-Chalabi said. "This is someone who's managed to find ways around every single problem the disease has thrown at him."
___
Online:
Hawking website: http://www.hawking.org.uk
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Friday, January 6, 2012
500 New Jobs Coming to Jefferson County
MT. VERNON -- Several businesses in Mt. Vernon are expanding, and area leaders are looking to capitalize on that growth.
To kickoff the new year, the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a "Momentum Summit" on January 26th. The committee planning the summit hopes to connect area businesses with government leaders.
Between Continental tire, Magnum Steel, and two local hospitals, Jefferson County will see around 500 additional jobs in the coming years.
"It gives other companies the ability to expand. It gives people the ability to go into business because we have a larger market here. We can just see great things happening in our economy over the next 3 years," says Mary Ellen Becktel with the Jefferson County Development Corporation.
Area leaders believe the growth in large companies will trickle down to small businesses.
The summit is open to Chamber of Commerce members, and their employees.
Source: http://www.wsiltv.com/news/local/500-New-Jobs-Coming-to-Jefferson-County-136674583.html
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Justin Timberlake 'Seriously' Considering Elton John Role
Elton John calls JT '#1 on my wish list' to portray him in upcoming biopic.
By James Montgomery
Justin Timberlake
We may not be 100 percent sure of his current relationship status, but we can confirm that Justin Timberlake is getting very serious with Elton John.
We think. In response to John's claims that Timberlake is "#1 on my wish list" to portray the singer in an upcoming biopic — he told the Los Angeles Times that JT's portrayal of him in the David LaChapelle-directed "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" video was "superb" — Timberlake is apparently "seriously" weighing the role, according to E! Online.
"Justin is taking it very seriously," a source "close to the singer" told E!'s Ted Casablanca. "He's working with his people to figure out exactly how to respond."
Casablanca also writes that "a very official response will be coming from Camp Timberlake momentarily," though, at press time, that response had yet to materialize.
In his Times interview, John said the film version of his life is "very much in the works," with a script penned by Lee Hall ("Billy Elliot") and an unnamed director "onboard." He also said that the biopic would be far different from the average Hollywood fare, which, given John's larger-than-life existence, shouldn't really be all that shocking.
"It's going to be a surreal look at my life, and not just a factual look at my life, more in the manner of a 'Moulin Rouge!' " John said. "I just don't want it to be a normal biopic because my life hasn't been like that. And it only goes up to when I go into rehab in 1990. It starts with me going into rehab and ends when I come out."
Do you think Justin should play Elton John in a biopic? Sound off on our Facebook page or in the comments below!
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676733/justin-timberlake-elton-john-biopic.jhtml
Feds seize bogus Winter Classic merchandise
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Federal authorities investigating the sale of shirts and jerseys bogusly branded NHL Winter Classic merchandise say they've seized counterfeit goods worth an estimated $350,000.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations office says they intercepted 150 international mail parcels and seized merchandise from vendors outside Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Flyers met the New York Rangers on Monday.
Investigators seized more than 1,600 items in all, including counterfeit MLB, NFL, NBA and NCAA merchandise.
Authorities say the investigation is continuing and no arrests have been made.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Video: Rick Perry on rival Santorum: ?He?s part of the problem?
>>> texas governor rick perry has spent more on advertising in iowa than any other candidate. governor perry, good morning. nice to have you here.
>> good morning, happy new year.
>> as i mentioned you have a good ground campaign going on in iowa . you have spent more in ads there in iowa , but "the des moines register " poll showed you placed fifth, second to last there in the poll with just 11%, voting in your favor. realistically, what do you think are your chances in iowa if you don't come out in the top three or four and moving your campaign forward?
>> well, 41% of the folks in iowa haven't made their decision yet. that's one of the reasons we're in the midst of a major bus tour. we'll end up in perry, iowa , this evening with a great rally. we have a great ground game, over 1,500 precinct captains going to the caucuses for us, over 500 volunteers have descended upon iowa from 32 different states to share with the people of iowa about rick perry and our record of job creation and our executive gnk government experience running the state. all of the white noise that comes out of the other campaigns, i'm going to do this, x, y and z, we've done it in texas and that's what we want to see happening in america and washington , d.c.
>> you're counting on the undecided. given you've already spent so much there, over $4 million in ads, how do you expect then to stand out from this crowded pack?
>> well, we got in the race late, so obviously introducing ourselves to the people of iowa was very important, but the fact is we do stand out. we're the only outsider, you got 63 years of collective congressional time in four of the candidates and then a wall street insider. people are looking for a real change in washington , d.c. , to clean up the corruption and fraud in congress. rick santorum talked about being a fiscal conservative but voted eight times to raise the debt ceiling. he's raised it more than obama has. he's a serial earmarker and stood up as late as yesterday and said he was proud of all of the earmarks. that's the mr. emin washington , d.c. while they're scratching each others' backs on the earmarks they're fleecing the americans.
>> rick santorum has become a target of yours as he's seen a surge in his campaign, but you sfe specifically said he targeted earmarks in the senate and on "meet the press" here's what senator santorum had to say in response.
>> i love the candidates who get the huge applause, i'm going to get rid of this one and this one, and one other one, and then -- oh, no, no. he's running the negative ads, not me.
>> governor, the senator there somewhat responding saying you can't get rid of entire government agencies shto shrink you there. did he spoof you there because of your oops moment back in november?
>> listen, you can get rid of entire agencies. he's part of the problem because you've got a culture there, a person who has been in washington , d.c. , so long, who doesn't understand what the american people want. why do we have a department of education? does rick santorum want washington to tell the people of iowa how to educate their children? i don't think so. i can promise you, there are a substantial number of agencies of government we could do away with and americans wouldn't miss them at all.
>> governor rick perry , good luck to you and your campaign. i appreciate your time this morning.
>> godspeed.
>> take care. with more now here's peter.
Monday, January 2, 2012
India's Way: For India?s Poor, Private Schools Help Fill a Growing Demand
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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Saturday, December 31, 2011
Many poor families have turned away from public education, but new government rules are seen as a threat to private institutions. ...
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=d1d0c52203e0f39d7fa1e26b5b35cf97
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Sunday, January 1, 2012
Rumor: Apple to use Sharp IGZO panels for Retina display iPad 3
Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes is reporting from “industry sources” that Apple plans to utilize Sharp’s IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology in the iPad 3, which
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/C1sChOJhCrE/story01.htm
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Samsung Epic 4G is now officially a CyanogenMod-supported device
If you have a Samsung Epic 4G and aren't overly happy with it being stock any more, you'll be pleased to know you can now add some new life to the device as it now has official support for CyanogenMod.
It has taken a lot of work from a lot of developers but Team EpicCM's github repositories have been merged into CyanogenMod's and those results are now available for download and installation. Keeping in mind, a few things are still broken here so you'll want to read over what works, what doesn't and what is being worked on before you dive right in.
If you're looking to get the full details, you can head on over to the CyanaogenMod forums and find everything you need to know about this release thus far -- including how to install it, a list of current bugs and what all to expect moving forward.
Source: CyanogenMod; Thanks, to all who sent this is!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/-pLsJerQp50/story01.htm
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